


September 1st

by 1lovemarklee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 11:23:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17765867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1lovemarklee/pseuds/1lovemarklee
Summary: Meeting Johnny on the first day of classes was fate. Does he feel the same?





	1. Part 1

Meeting Johnny that day was like coming up for a breath of fresh air. He came out of nowhere, but you were eternally grateful for that day.You fully believe it was fate for you both to be taking the same class at the university that semester. 

You signed up last minute and didn’t expect much from the course, but the first day was the first time you ever laid eyes on him.September 1st, the day your life changed. Walking into your 9 am lecture was something that you never intended to do that semester. You wanted to avoid early classes as much as possible because you worked a lot of night shifts. You picked an end seat so you didn’t have to climb over others, you didn’t want to annoy people on the first day, you did have to spend the next 4 months together so it would be best not to piss them off right away. After pulling out your notebook and pens, you decided to look around the classroom and study the peers you would be sharing this experience with. Your eyes met with a man who walked in the door. He stopped on his way to his seat and gave you a quick wave before sitting across the aisle from you.

“He’s handsome,” you thought to yourself. You noticed his kind eyes, the way he diligently listened to the professor, his small foot shake when he was writing. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to come to class at 9 am if it meant you could see more of this boy. The next morning you were running late, as usual, and in your distress, you ran straight into someone’s chest. In the midst of your apologizing, you looked up, only to be met the same kind eyes who secretly watched you from across the same aisle as you mindlessly played with your sweater strings during the last class.

“I am so sorry! I was rushing and I didn’t even see you!” you were tumbling over your words, trying to explain why you almost tackled someone in the middle of the hallway. If you had been paying attention, you would’ve noticed that it was hard to miss someone like him. He was much taller than you, and the other students who passed by, his hair was swept to the side in a neat but messy look. His eyes were smiling as he spoke,

“It’s ok, I wasn’t looking either. I noticed you in my class yesterday. I’m Johnny ” he put his hand out for you to shake it.

“I’m (Y/N). It’s nice to meet you” you grasped his hand and shook it. You briefly noticed the time on the wall and saw that class was already halfway over.

“Well, I guess we just missed our first class of the year” you laughed and adjusted your bag higher on your shoulder. You had every intention to hang out in the library until your next class and try and read what you missed today.

“I’ll see you around Johnny” you turned to leave, hoping your embarrassment would leave after you disappeared from his sight.

“Wait!” he called to you before you could head off down the hall.“Do you want to get a coffee or something? I don’t know many others in the university and it would be nice to have a friend in this class, it seems a bit boring in all honesty” He seemed shy, despite his appearance. If you had never spoken to him, you would have thought he was a player; someone who was considered popular; someone who was obsessed with how they look, but he was none of that. He was special.

“Yea sure! I’m not from here and don’t know anyone else, besides you now.” He smiled at the last part of your sentence and you followed him to the university coffee shop. A couple hours later, you had already downed 2 cups of coffee and were bound to be late for your next class if you hung around for much longer, but he was addictive. You wanted to know everything about him, and most importantly, you wanted to see him again.

“I’m so sorry Johnny, I want to stay, but I’m at risk of missing another class if I stay any longer. It was really nice to talk to you.” You gathered up your bookbag and reached for your phone on the table, but it was grabbed before you had the chance. Johnny had typed his number into your contacts and handed the phone back to you. You noticed the contact was saved as “best friend John” and you smiled. It was nice to have someone like this in your life. You quickly texted a quick ‘hi’ so he had your number and you tucked your phone into your back pocket. His phone lit up with multiple messages and from what you could tell, it was a group chat. He turned his phone over so the screen wasn’t facing upwards anymore.

“You’re popular” you joked, tossing your garbage into the nearby trash can. He laughed lightly,“It’s just my friends. I hope you get back to your class safely, I’ll text you!” And he waved to you as you exited the building. 

After that day, Johnny sat next to you at every 9 am lecture that semester. You studied together, had more coffee breaks than you could count, and spent many nights after evaluations trying to figure out who could drink more without getting sick. It was always him. You’re not sure when the feelings you had evolved from platonic love to romantic love. It might’ve been the first time he looked at you with his chocolate brown eyes, or the first time he picked you up in his car to watch his dormmates/friends embarrass themselves by getting drunk downtown and playing like kids in the park. Maybe it was the way he held you when you cried or comforted you after failing a test. Whatever it was, you knew you had it bad, and there was nothing that could save you.


	2. Part 2

Your phone buzzed beside you, signally a text. Johnny had texted you, telling you that they were having a movie night in 10 minutes.  
"Hi Johnny. Yes I am free to have a movie night." you said back to him, joking around. He replied with a smily face and you put your phine back on charge for a couple more minutes. 

Movie night with the NCT team was always a good time, and it was a ritual for you guys after exams. During the movie, cuddling with Johnny was always promised because the boys liked to watch horror movies but they weren’t your thing. Ten made amazing snacks and Donghyuk always greeted you with a bear hug and a smile.

You debated putting on leggings so you would look good in front of Johnny but he had seen you dressed in worse and you wanted to be comfortable so you threw on some sweat pants and one of the old baggy t-shirts that you normally only used for sleeping in.   
After meeting Johnny and his friends last semester, you decided to get an apartment in the same complex as them so it would be easier for you all to hang out. Which is why you opened the door and walked down the hallway in only your socks.

Of course, Donghyuk was the one to open the door, he always was the first to greet you and the boys always picked on him, saying he had a crush on you. You personally thought it was cute that he was excited to see you, it was nice to feel like you were wanted in a big group of people. Johnny was in his usual spot on the couch, the middle cushion of the 3-seater, leaving the corner spot for you because it was your favorite. You noticed not all the boys were here, it was a common sight to see blanket beds set up across the floor to accommodate for the number of members in the group but you only spotted a couple this time. 

“Taeyong took a couple of the younger boys out to a movie to celebrate their high marks. Plus they didn’t want to watch another one of your ‘crappy horror movies’” Ten said from the chair to your right, using air quotes around ‘crappy horror movies’.   
“I guess you didn’t get high marks then,” you said with a teasing tone, pushing Donghyuk’s shoulder. HIs ears turned red and Ten was quick to rat out his ulterior motive for staying behind  
“Oh no, he got high marks. He just wanted to see his girlfriend” If looks could kill, Ten would’ve been 6 feet under from the look Donghyuk was giving him. He lay down on the blankets and turned to face the t.v, facing away from us. You simply laughed at their antics and dropped yourself down on the couch next to Johnny.   
“Hey Nerd,” he said as he flicked the back of your head. You glared at him but gave him a similar greeting back.   
“What movie is it today guys?” you addressed the room, but clearly no one was in a hurry to answer you. Taeil walked into the room holding the dip Ten had just made and said,  
“It’s a surprise, just for you. Johnny picked it out” and you knew this was going to be an absolute nightmare because he always picked the scariest movies.   
10 minutes into the movie, you were squeezing Johnny’s arm with a death grip. Of course, he chose the one with the most gore and jumpscares possible. Even though it gave you the perfect excuse to cuddle up to the man you had been in love with for months, you knew you were not going to be able to sleep tonight. You pulled the blanket further up to your face, so you could easily hide your eyes. Johnny chuckled and slid his arm around your shoulders, pulling you in so half of your face was turned to the tv, making it easier to hide from the scary scenes, which was basically the whole movie.   
When the movie was over, someone flicked the lights back on and you quickly jumped away from Johnny, suddenly embarrassed about cuddling into him. Because you moved so fast, you missed the look of disappointment that crossed Johnny’s face. He wouldn’t admit it, but he likes cuddling with you, just as much as you did.   
“Guys can we watch something funny so I can actually sleep tonight?” you mumbled, hoping someone would play a comedy.   
“Why don’t you just sleep in Johnny’s bed?” Yuta laughed from the corner of the room,   
“I mean, we all just saw you cuddled up like a couple there.” A couple of the other boys nodded and let out little smiles, but you were beyond embarrassed. Your face was blood red, and you didn’t want to face anymore teasing from them. To them, they didn’t think anything of it because it was a joke, to you, you wanted nothing more than to actually cuddle up to him as you slept each night.   
“Sorry guys, I just remembered I have to do something” you managed to get out before sliding off the couch and out the door before another word was uttered.


	3. Part 3

Your phone was buzzing from the group chat you were in with the members who hosted the movie nights. Yuta had triple texted, apologizing for his insensitive joke, begging for you to answer him so he knew you weren't too mad at him. You sighed, you knew they would keep texting you, but you were too embarrassed to face them. Yuta had unknowingly revealed when you wanted most to the group of boys you called your best friends. You missed talking to them every day and seeing their stupid faces in your living room and eating all the food in your fridge. You missed their stupid jokes and Donghyuk’s hugs. Most of all, you missed Johnny. He was the one thing that had remained permanent in your life and you were about to ruin it over a stupid crush.

Except it wasn’t stupid. You had never felt this type of love towards anyone else in your life and it was becoming harder to stay away from him. Having him as a friend was better than not having him at all.

Your phone lit up again, but this time it was Johnny.   
"I miss you"   
"Please answer me"   
"What happened?"  
"Why won't you answer any of us?"  
"Please y/n. You're my best friend"   
"Did I do something wrong? Did you not like my arm around you..? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable"   
"Please let me come see you..."

You knew he wouldn’t stop texting, that was just the type of person he is. So, you peeled yourself out of bed, threw on the first pair of sweatpants you could find, tossed your hair into a quick bun, and slowly trotted down the hall to the dorm of NCT. Taking a deep breath in front of the door, you raised your hand to knock. It took a second for someone to answer, you assumed most of them weren’t home at this hour of the day, but you were wrong. When the door swung open, you were met with a crowd of men staring back at you. From what you could see, the rest were sitting in the living room, waiting to see who was at the door.

“Y/N!” Hyuk shouted as he leaped up from the couch and over to the door. You gave a small smile, stepping into the dorm. You felt overwhelmed by the amount of people staring at you, but the only person you didn’t see was Johnny. You continued to look around the room, searching for any sign that he was home, but none of his belongings were to be seen. As if he could hear your thoughts, Johnny emerged from his room and paused to look at you.

“y/n. Hey! I wasn’t expecting you!” he walked over to you and put his arms out for a hug. You fell into his arms, burying your face into his chest as you hugged him back. You heard the door shut behind you and a few of the members shuffled past you, back into the living room. When you finally let go of Johnny, Yuta stepped up next to you.

“y/n I am so sorry. It was a stupid joke and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes I just don’t think and I-” you cut him off

“Yuta, it’s ok. Don’t worry anymore, okay?” you patted him on the shoulder and turned back to Johnny,

“Can I talk to you for a second?” you asked, looking up at him. He nodded his head and led the way towards his bedroom, leaving the other members to continue what they were doing before you interrupted. He opened his door, guiding you in, and shut it behind him so the younger members wouldn’t be tempted to eavesdrop on whatever you had to say. Since you left the movie night, you had been thinking about if you should finally tell him how you felt. Would he feel the same? Would he laugh in your face and tell you to never speak to him again? Would your friendship become so awkward you slowly drift apart? There was only one way to figure out how this situation would play out. Johnny turned to face you and sat on his bed.

“What’s going on? Is everything ok?” he had a genuine look of concern on his face and your heart melted. Maybe it would be ok if you told him how you felt.

“Oh before I forget! Remind me to tell you the good news I got today, after you tell me what you wanted to say!” he sounded too excited to wait until you told him your feelings

“No, you go first, I want to hear your good news!” You smiled at him, encouraging him to tell you what was happening

“Ok so, apparently there was a company scout at our last NCT performance and they want to sign us! The boys and I have talked about it and we’re going to do it, the only downside is that i’ll have to be gone for tours and stuff but we can FaceTime all the time.” you felt your smile falter, of course he was leaving you. Obviously you were beyond happy for him, but he had no obligation to come back to this place after performing in different places with his friends.

“Wow that’s amazing! Congratulations, i’m so proud of you!” you reached out to give him a hug, hoping he forgot that you had something to say.

“I’m so excited! We’re not sure where we’re performing yet but it’ll be out of town for sure! Don’t worry, i’ll send you lots of pictures!” he laughed, and you forced a small chuckle. He was finally living the dream he wanted, and it was amazing for him, you were just hoping he didn’t meet another girl while he was away.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Johnny turned all of his attention back towards you, making sure you knew he was 100% focused on what you had to say. It was now or never, if you didn’t tell him now, you probably would not get another chance. If he rejected you, he wouldn’t be around school anymore and it would hurt considerably less. You couldn’t help but stare at him, taking in his beauty as if for the last time. The way his eyes were still shining from the excitement of his future taking off. The way his glasses had slid halfway down his nose but he never bothered to fix them. The way he always folded his hands in his lap when he was focused on someone talking. You couldn’t imagine living a lie to him anymore, he had to know, and if it wasn’t now, it would never happen. You took a deep breath before opening your mouth to speak

“I’m in love with you”


	4. Part 4

“I’m in love with you.”

The room went silent after those words had left your mouth, Johnny was staring at you, unmoving. You couldn’t even look at him, you had suddenly become very interested in the hem of your sweater. Chancing a look, you saw Johnny slowly stand up from his position on the bed. As soon as he stopped in front of you, opening his mouth to say something, his bedroom door had swung open. You jumped back, turning to see Taeyong standing at the door.

“Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt, but we gotta go Johnny. Manager just called and needs us all at the studio now.” Taeyong turned and disappeared just as fast as he had appeared, but he left the door wide open. Johnny gave you a sad look but you just turned and headed out of the bedroom door. Of course this would happen as soon as your told him your feelings. Now it was awkward and you weren’t sure when you would have the chance to talk to him one-on-one again. Passing by the living room, you muttered a quick congratulations to the boys, and then slipped out the door. Why did this always happen to you? How come nothing played out in your favour?

The day after your conversation with Johnny, he had texted you to tell you that he had to go on a road trip with the boys to another part of Korea for a performance, but you didn’t reply to him. You weren’t sure why he was telling you this, you figured he didn’t want anything to do with you anymore. You had just ruined your friendship with the only friend you had made in university.

1 week after Johnny had left, the texts became less frequent. You had replied a couple times, not wanting to seem like a terrible person. You weren’t sure where he was at this point, but you were preoccupied by getting ready for the upcoming semester. During the week, a couple of the other boys had texted you updates, saying Johnny seemed to be constantly sad, despite living his dream of travelling and performing. You had a generic response to each text, telling them you didn’t know why he was upset because he didn’t want to talk about it. You didn’t want to get into the details with them, you were too embarrassed and sad about how things ended before they left. Telling the boys your feelings might result in them rejected you as well. Donghyuk was the most constant texter, he was always updating you about their shows, sending you videos of them practicing and performing. You were always left in awe because they were so talented. Your eyes always followed Johnny’s movements on the screen, watching his perfect performances. 

The first day of classes were lonely, you and Johnny were supposed to be taking most of the same subjects, but now it was just you. Donghyuck told you that they were coming back next week so at least you might get to see Johnny, if he came back to school. Even if you weren’t friends anymore, seeing him in class would make you feel a little bit better.

Your 9am class went over fairly well, it was only a small class so you felt more comfortable there, you didn’t feel overwhelmed by the amount of people. If Johnny was here, you guys would have been laughing about the professors weird hair, or the way he pronounced a word wrong. You pulled out your headphones and worked to untangle them, but you were interrupted when you walked straight into someones. You were immediately brought to the first time you met Johnny, how you had crashed right into him. You stepped back and profusely apologized to whoever it was, you hadn’t looked at their face because of your embarrassment.

“Do you feel like this has happened before?” the person said

You lifted your head, not believing that he was standing here in front of you. There was Johnny, smiling at you while holding two drinks from your favourite coffee spot down the street.

“Can we talk now?” he asked, while handing you one of the drinks. You silently took it, confused about how he was here right now.

“Why are you here?” you blurted out. You immediately regretted it after seeing his face fall

“No I just mean that Donghyuck said you wouldn’t be back until next week so i’m just surprised I guess” you corrected yourself

“I bribed Hyuck not to tell you so I could pull off this surprise. I now owe that kid 5 movie nights and 2 dinner get togethers at whatever spot he wants” you laughed, that seemed like something Donghyuck would want.

“Yeah we can talk. I’m free the rest of the day.” Johnny nodded and led you out to his car. He drove until he found an empty parking spot at the nearest lake, which happened to be on the other side of town. Johnny got out of the car and grabbed his blanket out of the back seat, your guess was to sit on down by the lake.

Johnny spread out the blanket and you plopped yourself down in one of the corners, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by sitting too close

“I missed you..” you muttered, not sure if he heard you.

“I missed you too, y/n” he replied back, which answered the question if he heard you or not.

“I wanted to talk about what you said before I left.” You knew that was what he wanted. You still weren’t ready to be rejected by him, but you nodded anyway. Johnny took a deep breath before he started talking

“I was really surprised by what you said. When you said you wanted to talk, that wasn’t what I thought you were going to say. I’m also sorry I left before we had a chance to talk it out, I know it must’ve been hard just leaving things like that.” you nodded, not wanting to interrupt his speech

“Taeyong also wanted me to pass along another apology to you, he felt bad for interrupting ‘what seemed to be a serious conversation”, but I didn’t tell him what you said, I didn’t want you to be in an awkward position while I was away. I wanted to be here to talk it out with you, not over the phone. You deserve more than that.” you cracked a small smile at this last sentence. You were trying not to get your hopes up so you wouldn’t be even more upset when he rejected you.

“Anyway, I wanted to give you a reply about what you said to me. I wanted to tell you my feelings.” He paused, looking at you to make sure it was okay for him to keep talking, so you just nodded.

“When I met you on September 1st, I knew there was something different about you, and I was right. You quickly became my best friend, the person I talked to about everything, the person who knew me better than I know myself. You always know how to make me smile and you don’t complain when I make you watch horror movies with all 18 of us. You quickly became friends with the people who have become my brothers, and that is extremely important to me. I should probably get the the point because you look like you’re going to die of anxiety” he laughed, but he wasn’t wrong. You didn’t know how this conversation was going to end. You were anticipating the heartbreaking words at any moment.

“Okay, to end this sappy friendship speech, I am trying to tell you that I am in love with you too” he was smiling wide at you, waiting for a reaction. You immediately broke out into a smile

“Oh my god” you breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful that this is where the conversation had gone

“Never in a million years did I think you would love me back” you laughed, leaning up on your knees so you were slightly closer to him. Johnny just smiled at you, pulling you into him. You adjusted yourself and lay down so your head was resting on his leg.

“Does this mean i’m your girlfriend now?” you asked him, as he started playing with your hair.

“Do you want me to be my girlfriend?” he asked back, a smirk growing on his face.

“Well obviously” you laughed. Johnny grinned down at you, and you sat in silence for a little while, listening to the water.

“y/n, do you think it would be okay if we waited to tell the boys? I have to tell my manager and the company first and I want to figure out the best way to tell them.” Johnny looked at your with concern showing on his face.

“Yea sure, no problem.” you didn’t really care if he waited to tell the boys, you were just happy that he was finally yours.


	5. Part 5

You didn’t mind hiding the relationship from the boys, it saved you from their jokes. But it became increasingly difficult to come up with excuses for why Johnny was always leaving the dorm. Let’s be honest, he wasn’t the quietest when he was sneaking out so he always got caught, and therefore, he always needed an excuse. A couple times, the members would join him when he came over because he couldn’t exactly say he wanted it to be just you and him, so he had to let them tag along to movie nights that were supposed to be date nights. 

Johnny wasn’t sure the rule his company had for dating, so he was a little hesitant about how to tell him them this news, but there was no rush. You were happy because you were finally with the love of your life and he seemed pretty happy to be with you as well.

*a month after starting to date*

“y/n” you heard Johnny call from across your living room. You turned around, and he was stood in the doorway with some of his team.

“Hey guys, I’m just making some food for the movie.” You were originally making food for just you and Johnny but he was once again trying to sneak out so you had to put on extra. Tonight was supposed to be a ligitistics meeting on how to tell his members that you were dating. Several of them had already made jokes that you guys were secretly dating and it was funny only because they were right and didn’t know it. When Johnny had entered the kitchen, he had bumped into the door, causing it to shut, which meant you could no longer see into the living room.

“Hey why did you -” you were cut off by Johnny planting his lips on yours, ending all conversation in its tracks. It also answered your question about why he intentionally hit the door. Johnny smiled into the kiss, knowing he had succeeded in making you stop talking. He bent down a little so you could jump up onto the counter with his help. You wrapped your arms around his neck while continuing to kiss him.

“Hey y/n, do you have any -” you immediately pulled away from Johnny and looked over his shoulder to see Mark standing in the door. Johnny let out a small laugh and moved so you could jump off the counter.

“Guess we’re caught now” Johnny pushed back his hair and turned towards Mark.

“Mark listen -” Johnny didn’t get far into his sentence before Mark turned and called to the other members

“Guys come here! Johnny has a secret”

“What do you mean Johnny has a secret?” Taeyong called back, but you could hear several pairs of footsteps drawing closer to the door.

“This should be good” Yuta piped up “Johnny can’t even plan a surprise party” you laughed at that last remark and Johnny flicked your back with his finger. The door swung open further and all 10 of them were waiting for what Mark had to say.

“What Mark? Why are we all standing in the kitchen?” Of course Donghyuck would be the one to mention the obvious.

“Hyuck be nice, I’m older.” Mark glared back at him “But I just saw them kissing” and he pointed at you and Johnny. There was silence in your small apartment, no one even made a joke.

“Guys listen” it was Johnny who broke the silence

“I called it!” Yuta screamed. You jumped at the sudden loudness of his voice. “I knew it! I knew you had a thing for him!” He seemed to be very excited that he had predicted this long before you have even started dating. Johnny started laughing and everyone turned to look at him

“This was definitely not how i expected to tell you guys this but yes, we’re dating. It’s been about a month. When Taeyong came into my room and told us we had to go on a roadtrip to preform, she had just told me how she felt and I had to leave her without finishing the conversation. I was sad on the road trip because of that and I didn’t want to tell everyone because we were all finally living our dream. When we came back, I surprised her after class and confessed my feelings to her, and we’ve been together since.” Johnny reached for you hand but all the members swarmed you both with a hug before he had a chance to grab it.

“We’re happy for you guys” Taeyong said, once the hug broke apart “and i’m sorry I interrupted that conversation. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for either one of you” you smiled at him, letting him know it was okay. It was all in the past and it only mattered that you had Johnny now.

“Also, everyone else knows about this now” Jungwoo said from the back of the group. He was holding up his phone with the open group chat on his phone. Johnny pulled out his phone, reading over the responses from the other members. He turned his phone towards you and all the messages were supportive of you both, which you were grateful for. You were happy to have the man you loved and the support of his best friends.


End file.
